Obama: Americans ‘not better off’ than they were four years ago

President Obama said he will “absolutely” be the underdog in the 2012 election and admitted Americans are “not better off” than they were four years ago in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday.

“I think what we’ve seen is we’ve made steady progress to help the economy,” the president said, but the unemployment rate, currently at over 9 percent, remains “way too high.” He said his American Jobs Act will give “more consumers more confidence” and lead to much-needed economic growth.

When asked about Solyndra, the bankrupt solar energy company that received millions in federal loans, Obama said, “People felt like it was a good bet” and “hindsight is always 20/20.”

An ABC News/Washington Post poll released Monday showed a majority of Americans now believe Obama will be a one-term president, while only 37 percent say he will be re-elected. When asked about the poll, Obama said he was comfortable fighting an uphill battle in 2012.

“I’m used to being an underdog,” said Obama. “And I think that, at the end of the day … what people are gonna say is ‘who has a vision for the future that can actually help ordinary families recapture the American dream?’”